So I was wondering if lucid dreams are really experienced in real time, or just as a memory of "yeah I remember doing that".

I was worried that lucid dreams were not really experienced, but only remembered. Lemme elaborate. Lets say you have sex with a fine lady or lad (in waking life). During the process, you know you are there. You know that right now at this moment, I am having sex. Lets say afterwards, about 2 or 3 hours (time doesn't really matter. It can be any moment AFTER the experience) later, you recall that memory of having sex. You relish in that memory.

HOWEVER! there is a huge difference in recalling an experience and taking part in that experience. So, again, my fear was that lucid dream was probably just a memory you experience while waking up, and not an experience you actually, well, Experience! The reason for that is that in non-lucids, after waking up, I always get the feeling of having experiencED the dream, but I am never sure, or I can never really get that feeling of being sure of actually being in the now of that dream.

Now I know. Without a doubt, when you lucid dream you are in the now of that dream (granted you are aware enough). you not only remember the dream once awake, you can say (or at the least, I can say) for sure that I was in the NOW of that dream. It's just like that sex example I gave above.

I wrote this to clarify on something I was never 100% sure on (even though I had a few lucid dreams before. Amount of awareness plays a role). I hope this helps to squash anyone's doubts of "not really being apart of the lucid dream".
Then again, it's something youre probably gonna have to experience yourself .